Due to current and, in all probability, future competitive pressures in the garment industry it is becoming increasingly important that the number of different members in a given style of garment hanger be minimized to the greatest extent possible. This presents a significant challenge to the hanger designer because not only is it necessary that the hang width of a hanger extend over a wide distance, so as to accommodate petite women's sizes as well as large men's sizes, but the adjustment must be made quickly and, once made, must be securely maintained. Changing the width can be accomplished by the skilled designer by designing loose fits between moving parts, but this expedient becomes less and less practical as the width of the garment to be suspended from the hanger increases. In other words, as the width of a garment to be secured to the hanger by the clamp assemblies (usually two in number) increases, the greater is the tendency for the weight of the garment to pull the clamp assemblies toward one another. Should the clamp assemblies move toward one another under the weight of the garment the result will be a sag or drop of the garment with respect to the suspension member to which the clamp assemblies are secured. A sagging garment on a hanger is displeasing to the eye of a potential purchaser in that it projects an image of sloppiness which obviously does not whet the desire of a potential purchaser to buy the garment. The problem of sag can of course be at least partially counteracted by designing the components which move relative to one another--the suspension member and the clamp assembly or assemblies--with tighter clearances. However, the tighter the clearance the more difficult it is for the clamp assemblies to be moved by hand pressure relative to the suspension member, and, for personnel who must perform this task many times daily, such as clerks in retail stores, the task becomes onerous and unpleasant. When a clerk is required to work with tight clearance (i.e.: high friction) components, there is a natural human tendency to apply the minimum hand pressure to the clamp assemblies and the result, often, is that the clamps are not moved outwardly as far as they should be to properly display a wide width garment on a hanger which, moments before, was sized for a narrow width garment. By the same token, should it be required that the space between clamp assemblies must be shortened, there is a tendency to move the clamp assemblies only part way toward their proper new location which then requires a second effort or results in a garment which is displayed off-center with respect to the mid-point of the hanger, or both.
In addition to the foregoing considerations it is desirable that the concept of quick and effortless adjustability and secure locking of the clamp assembly to the suspension member be provided in garment hangers in which (1) the clamp jaws of the clamp assembly are in direct contact with the suspension member, and (2) the clamp jams are not in direct contact with the suspension member, as when the clamp assembly is deliberately located beneath the suspension member as by a vertical hang structure. It will be understood that certain garments, to be displayed to best advantage in a retail store, should be hung from the hanger's suspension member at a considerable distance beneath the suspension member. Such garments might include, for example, a skirt in which a fancy edge or ruffle extends some distance above the elastic in the waistband and hence, in order to appropriately present the upper edge to the eye of the potential purchaser, the garment should be gripped a greater distance beneath its uppermost edge than would be the case when a pair of plain top pants or shorts are to be displayed.
Thus, there is a need for a clamp assembly which, by modest hand pressure, can be easily adjusted to a wide number of positions on the suspension member of a garment hanger and, once placed in a desired position, easily secured to the suspension member by further modest hand pressure, particularly in conjunction with garment hangers which are intended to grip and hang a garment therefrom at a point well below the usual gripping point on the majority of garments. From time to time in the following description of the invention, this latter type of hanger will be referred to as a drop loop hanger.